alright. i'm going into the biotechnology field and you wouldn't believe how many people in my class are against the whole idea of genetically altering things, which at first i found semi-hypocritical if you enter this field.

anyways. we were on the topic of genetically altering foods, and everyone went off on a tangent about how humans are chauvinistic and are playing God, and instead of genetically altering foods to make them healthier, grow in better environment, etc, we should simply die. they argued that we've been prolonging life for too long, and we shouldn't -- we should simply befall to whatever succumbs us without fucking with life like we've always been doing. no drugs, no life support, not even a hospital visit -- we should simply accept fate. we shouldn't be instilling nutrients in food that don't have them to promote healthier eating, people should just try to eat both vegetables and get the nutrients instead. the idea of becoming healthier from changing genetics in food was quickly shot down by them because people can get healthier without, we are just becoming too lazy and we expect everything to be done for us.

as i sat on the pro side initially, i began to agree with them. i'm for genetic engineering because i love technology and the idea of fucking with nature allures me, but then again it's distasteful. it's the career path i'm choosing, so i'm for, but really i hate the idea of biotechnology and that we're just getting full of ourselves and controlling the world. me and my father always toy on the idea of an apocalypse and how beneficial it would be to the human race, seeing as afterward instead of living on our high-horses like we do now, we'd melt back into our Darwinistic ways prior to the age of technology and industrialism.

anyways. on my belief, one day genetic engineering will be a garage profession (aka bladerunner) or would control our futures (like gattaca). it seems like whenever genetic engineering is involved, there's a negative connotation. i agree. if we go too out of hand with our genetic engineering, we'd be creating the "perfect" human being, and whoever isn't perfect would be labeled and displaced. we'd fall in the sci-fi universe where our genes dictate our lives. or something else, i don't know i'm getting bored with this post already..

SO WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS if anyone cares about my tl;dr bullshit. and yeah my opinions are wishy-washy,whatever.

Cup Ramen

Without having done extensive research, I want to say that it's a good thing to a point. We shouldn't be changing every fucking thing around, but obviously if it's going to make us healthier and prolong life without hurting anything, why not?

if it's going to make us healthier and prolong life without hurting anything, why not?

The problem is that not enough research is done. They test food plants for 5 years in controlled area where only the new plants can breed if memory serves. This is woefully inaccurate as in the real world almost all plant derived foods crossbreed with other plants and the crossbreeding can cause strange changes such as toxic canola seeds. Making it worse, the pollen can blow for miles (Sahara dust makes it to the USA!) and even recalled plants will have irrevocable impact on the ecosystem as the new genes will stay in wild and cultivated plants long after the recalled plants are gone... and scientists can't test how every single plant and animal will be effected.

At least GMO animals can have breeding be more controlled as it's not done on the wind/by bugs as it is with plants. It's only a little safer, but at least a little is an improvement.

I personally don't mind, though I do agree that studies don't always go far enough. Then again, we have plenty of plants now that, through domestication and careful pollination no longer can really survive on their own. Technically those are genetically modified "unnaturally" as well.

Either way, I'm not really concerned. I really don't have anything against the stuff, and as long as they're careful with the major modifications, I'm fine with it.

I'm not a religious person, the main thing that bugs me about genetic manipulation tends to be what happens to the mistakes. Then again, that's a pattern that's hardly new to history - any livestock breeder/keeper worth much of anything didn't keep the animals that didn't match up to their standards if they could help it. Economic reasons if nothing else.